IntroductionAs
a hard-core gamer for over 30 years and a programmer to boot, both in
the arcade and on PC and consoles over multiple platforms, I can say
with authority that the true test of any new game system or technology
is how much better it is then anything else that’s come before it. And,
what does it cost for that performance improvement? Back in the 1970s,
when there was almost nothing in video games to play, we were happy to
upgrade from black and white to color or from Pong to Space Invaders.
Even to go as programmers from Basic or Fortran to DOS offered
significant improvements to gaming that a few years before were simply
unimaginable. This is because computer power was at a premium, as it
was throughout the U.S. Apollo missions to the moon, and arcade games
circa 1980 like Donkey Kong, Tempest, Frogger, or Pole Position
required the equivalent of $5,000 worth of hardware, but only the
equivalent of the current processing power of a current $30 logarithmic
calculator from Wal-Mart. These games relied heavily on visual
suspension of disbelief, and similar allowances with regard to the
audio, as they were all terribly, terribly two-dimensional in
presentation. Even sports and racing games from the 1980s were
substantially flat and cartoonish in comparison with anything we have
experienced since the original Xbox appeared in 2001.

At
that time, alongside a whole slew of new and superior PC gaming
platforms, like Alienware and Apple Computers’ first foray into the
Gigaflop processing arena, the original Xbox set the standard for both
stand-alone game play and high-definition graphics with Dolby Digital
5.1 sound. I found it to offer significantly better game play than
anything else with respect to three-dimensional visual presentation,
complex light and shading, sound accuracy and spatial envelopment,
along with a truly lifelike sense of immersion, previously felt to this
degree only in military and research simulators. While the early Xbox
games varied in quality, as with all new platforms, many subsequent
games like Halo and Halo II first set the benchmark as tangibly real
for first-person shooters on any platform. Others like Call of Duty
followed. Certainly, sporting games created by EA Sports have utilized
every bit of processing power available from the original Xbox, and in
the last year or so, EA’s games have looked better on a fully screaming
gamer PC platform.

With all the pre-press blah blah about how incredible or terrible the
Xbox 360 might be, no less than eight domestic retailers have sold out
of all products by the initial November 22 rollout. Most websites that
list the product for sale give a time frame for new orders that
stretches to at least March 2006. And I am truly shocked by how eager
people are, standing in line outside in the fall cold for days, and
what they are willing to pay for a system before Christmas, in some
cases four and five times the retail price. Fortunately, this did not
deter me. And I can say here and now if you are a gamer, you will want
to own this platform. But will it be as exciting and new when the Sony
PlayStation comes out in May 2006 featuring Blue-ray and 1080p playback
capability?

FeaturesThe
Xbox 360 looks like it came from the designers of the Apple iBook,
offering up a sleek and largely white exterior case slightly smaller
than the original Xbox but considerably larger than the Sony
Playstation 2; it offers the ability to add skin faceplates and change
the GUI to re-characterize each individual unit as its owner desires.
The platform is capable of processing one teraflop of information,
thanks to its three symmetrical IBM computer cores operating at 3.2 GHz
each. The custom ATI processor and its ultra-fast memory run at 500 MHz
and feature 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM in a unified GPU/CPU architecture. This
allows game designers to make the most of the 1280 x 720p or 1920 x
1080i arena they are charged with filling creatively. In fact, for the
360, all new games must be in high definition and Dolby Digital 5.1,
mandated by Microsoft. I think this is a great step towards totally
embracing the 16:9 HD aspect ratio and making the most of the improved
resolution this game format offers.

A
removable 20 GB hard drive (along with a wireless controller, Xbox Live
headset, three-month silver Xbox live subscription and a component/HDTV
interface cable) are available as standard in the $399.00 MSRP Deluxe
Package. I do not recommend purchase of the “Core System” at $299.00
MSRP, as the wired controller is a step backward and the hard drive is
absolutely necessary to save game profiles, updates and additions, but
it is also useful to store music and high-definition video when
exchanged with a PC or Windows Media Center using an optional Microsoft
Extended Media cradle; this concept was designed as an afterthought, in
my opinion, and not worthy of review unless you must share all your
entertainment sources and audio and video selections with each and
every different platform and component you own throughout your home,
including your car and cellular.

The wireless controllers (which require two-AA batteries or the
recharging pack included with the deluxe system) are very similar to
the “J” version (the smaller one) of the wired Xbox controller
introduced in 2003, being very slightly more tapered at the palm holds
– most comfortable – and slightly heavier than the “J” version, yet
lighter than the Xbox aftermarket wireless controllers. I found I could
get at least 18 hours of continuous play out of the best Duracell AA
batteries, while the rechargeable pack was good for 12 hours at a time.
This was dependent on the amount of vibration induced by the game, of
course, but I think this is quite extraordinary for a wireless product
of any kind, all the same. There are two 64 MB memory slots, useful in
transferring saved data from an Xbox to the Xbox 360 with older games
(and a lot of help and a prayer) and touring with your saved data to
other players’ homes, as well as three USB ports for expansion to
additional controllers and accessories like a steering column and
accelerator for Project Gotham Racing 3. The GUI is very TiVo-like as
an interface, both simple and intuitive to operate. The operating
system takes a new user through the usual date/time, screen aspect
ratio, HDTV format and Dolby Digital sound selection, and in no time
you will be playing both new and old games like you had the system set
up forever.

Xbox 360 continues the Xbox Live tradition of offering games with both
solo and online playability. While I have never found playing solo
against the computer to offer the pleasure and diversity of playing
literally against the rest of the world, the onboard fuzzy logic in the
solo games now imitates and learns how to be smarter, just like online
opponents would. Furthermore, offline play is made smarter through
online play, as many games, particularly from EA Sports, add their
fuzzy logic from online play experience to any game that’s played. This
is a fascinating improvement in game logic which I believe is being
tested silently now, which would account for the lack of rollout of a
neat and critical feature.

It is important to note that, while many Xbox games are compatible with
Xbox 360, each one must have an emulator program written specifically
for it to run at all. I cannot entirely understand then why a new and
exciting game like Star Wars Battle Ground II, released eight weeks
before the 360 hit the streets, is still incompatible. Or Star Trek:
Shattered Universe, for that matter. So before you go and sell your
original Xbox and buy a 360, make certain that you have checked the
Xbox 360 older game compatibility list, which changes almost daily, in
order to avoid great disappointment.

Otherwise, the more diminutive and styli-able Xbox 360 sets up
identically to the original Xbox, with the exception of a rather large
external power transformer, nearly half the size of the unit itself.
Initial reports since the November 22 launch have indicated there have
been a small number of overheating incidents. This is suspiciously
similar to the original Xbox overheating when the tiny two-prong IEC
power cord supplied with new units prior to 2005 would overheat after
many, many hours (say 12) due to the high current draw required to run
more complicated games over time. A few cases cited fire, but I have
never seen any pictures or seen any lawsuits, so this is perhaps
exaggerated. Still, my experience was that the 360’s transformer did
get quite hot, and I found myself setting it up as a precaution on end
so that more air could flow around the unit – perhaps an unconscious
concern over sudden immolation. The 360 console also gets quite warm
along the backside, but this is no worse than most gaming PCs or front
projectors with their cooling fans running on high.

TestingAs
is true of all my reviews, I evaluated the Xbox 360 on a minimum of
five different playback systems, ranging from the 24-inch Sony
GDM-FW900 HDTV/Computer CRT monitor and the Sony 40XBR700 40-inch CRT
television to the Sony Qualia 006 70-inch XBR100 SXRD RP and the NEC
XG135-2 eight-inch CRT front projector (similar to the Runco 991 Ultra)
on a Stewart StudioTech 130 screen of 12x6.75 feet, all the way up to
the Sony Qualia 004 (with the 1080p mod and the Faroudja DVP 1080P
scaler) on a Stewart 18x10.125-foot Snowmatte Laboratory Grade motion
picture screen. Sound systems included the two-channel Bose Wave radio
featuring Dolby Prologic II all the way through the Theta Casablanca
III operating in 8.4 mode, plus two additional Bryston crossovers using
my custom Snell THX 8.8 system to play back over 26 channels utilizing
30 McIntosh MC-2102 Vacuum tube amplifiers.

By comparison
to anything other than the best gaming PCs currently available at four
and five times the price, Xbox 360 is hands-down the best visual and
sonic performer for almost any reasonable amount of money one might
choose to spend. At the same time, it retains a nearly flawless
controller interface with a basic 32-bit architecture, common
controller design with the previous system, and, unlike so many PC
games, there are few hang-ups, even after extended game play, which has
been a real problem with certain original Xbox games, regardless of
software iteration.

My initial concerns notwithstanding about the slightly smaller,
snazzier 360 case design and its heat dissipation, as it has three
times the processing power of the previous Xbox (and this must include
the rather large and hot external A/C power transformer – boo!), I find
this platform to offer the most significant improvement in both
absolute picture and sound quality (particularly with the Component
Video HDTV connection) of any standalone platform thus far created.

Equally
as much, this platform offers an enormous and broad improvement in the
quality of game play. Options and visual expectations that would be
involved with those realities suddenly come to light in a very visceral
way. For example, in any of the new EA 360 Sport games from NFL 2006,
and NGA 2006 to NBA 2006 and NHL 2006, the impression of individual
player’s attention (with eyes following the action closely) and fatigue
as witnessed by sweating, drinking water on the sidelines, panting and
overheating due to stress are palpable and visceral as the games
progress, providing yet another previously unrealized physical element
that can be portrayed as an element of game environment history. The
play field also ages with time, showing scuffs on the Astroturf,
scrapes on the court and blood on the ice after a scuffle – most
realistic in a way we could have only imagined a few years ago.

To me, after this tangible improvement in the portrayal of time upon
the environment (and any consequences that might happen) through game
play, I now feel new games must be required to recreate an actual event
accurately and tactilely. This includes the decimation of initially
perfect players (or vehicles) and environments, which, over the course
of the game, change to the point where they are not even recognizable
or drivable. This level of “historical authenticity” produces an
“almost live effect,” with lighting, camera angles and subtle detailing
and damage effects giving both the flavor of the real event (as in
earlier Xbox games) and the raw detail that is required to produce
realistic results in 1920x1080 in real-time on a really large screen.

I find this effect to be of the same level of improvement as previous
transitions in my personal history of new video game platforms,
starting with that early flat black and white Pong game as seen with
color gels fore and aft game in “Airport 1977” (Universal HDTV
Network), which would lead to a new form of 2-D hockey and tennis,
followed by great improvements that produced Space Invaders, Missile
Command, and finally Zaxxon in 1983, the first third-person shooter.
(Never to have been reissued – boo!!!)

Having said all this, my personal playing experience with the 360 is
transcendent vs. any other currently available gaming system. On a
large screen, in particular, the visual presentation at 720p, much less
1080i, produces an outstanding picture, as well as fantastic sound
quality with a commensurate system. Unfortunately, loading time is just
as slow as with the original Xbox and most PC gaming solutions. Oh,
well, perhaps the Sony Playstation 3 with Blue-ray will be speedier.

Exciting
games included Project Gotham Racing 3, with its completely realistic
New York skyline, particularly the trip across the Brooklyn,
Washington, and Varizano Bridges towards Manhattan. Equally as nonstop
was the warmongering involvement of Call of Duty 2 in the European WW2
theater that included the streets of Paris and Berlin, among many
others, coming to life as though you were there – brrrrrrr. The snow
was as subtle as any I have experienced outside of a professional
simulator or real life. Troop movement was like watching an HDTV movie,
although it was clear during still moments that textures of people and
places are matted onto a wire frame of visible points in a scene.
Still, these two games in particular struck me for their nearly
limitless playfields (well beyond the corner limits and local
battlefields encountered in previous game formats), constant
adaptations of computer opponents to actual live opponents, and a
superb sense of beauty, subtlety, depth of field and total player
immersion, particularly on large screen systems over 60” at close
seating distances.

The DownsideFirst
and most egregious in this day and age, the lack of an HDMI output is
simply ridiculous. How can a new, cutting-edge HDTV system not give
users access to the most common digital video/audio interface? And why
must gamers contend with less then the best digital connection after
spending nearly $500 on hardware? How are companies like Motorola and
Scientific Atlanta able to make cable DVRs that offer superior picture
quality to users at $10 a month and with an HDMI output as standard?

The rubber thumb grips, particularly the right thumb stick, have NESW
extrusions, which, to my sensitive thumbs, become needlessly fatiguing
after a few hours of play. The controllers are so close to offering a
perfect fit that I can hardly imagine Microsoft would not fine-tune the
existing results to create a perfect in-house product for their loyal
public.

Possible carpal tunnel syndrome due to a clamped hand around a
controller over many hours should have been reviewed before this new
release went public. My research indicates that a soft gel-like contour
or body, in place of the hard plastic exterior, would result in a
tremendous increase in player focus and longevity over many hours of
play.

The lack of total backward compatibility for all games is disturbing,
since Xbox 360 must have been built upon the users who already play
online with Xbox Live. Who needs to have two identical systems (one new
and one old) online and pay for a two simultaneous yearly subscriptions?

The impending release in early May of Sony’s Playstation 3, featuring
Blu-ray and 1080p playback capability, almost pushes Xbox 360 into
obscurity before it is ever released. Considering Sony’s 78 percent
world market share of personal video game sales, it is a wonder that
Microsoft continues to carve out any market share at all, particularly
against longtime game veteran Nintendo. Once Blu-ray HDTV discs become
available, I fear that the 360 will not be upgradeable.

ConclusionMicrosoft
has added to and enhanced its original Xbox platform into a
cutting-edge tour de force of technology and software engineering. Now,
with all 360 games coming out in HD resolutions of 720p or 1080i,
wireless controllers as standard (in the deluxe package, anyway), easy
to use Dashboard GUI and online Xbox Live support for all 360 games,
plus with the addition of a Windows Media Extender, the ability for the
360 to act as an HD A/V media server to other PCs, iPods and standalone
media servers, etc., the 360 platform has far more capability to come
out as a standalone console and at a far lower price for what is
essentially a three-core IBM PC.

It is unfortunate that,
while the new games offer much better picture and sound quality,
particularly on higher definition and large playback systems, the game
play is not all that much better than with the original Xbox or, for
that matter, Playstation 2. A generally lackluster sense of improved
game play vs. the previous iterations of the same programs prevents
most games from being more than just hyped visual and sonic versions of
the earlier iterations of the same titles. This sometimes appears more
like a movie or TV version of the game that one plays in between
replays while watching on the couch. It does not always feature games
that engage as much as the earlier versions of the same titles did
without such visual bells and whistles.

All things considered, though, if you can tolerate the lack of an HDMI
output, huge external power supply and possible incompatibility with
certain older Xbox games, I must say that this new Xbox 360 game
platform offers a most enjoyable and striking opportunity to play games
with the quality of the best gaming PCs and the reliability and
consistency that only a console can offer. This and an established
online community certainly appear to offer a bright future for the Xbox
360 – that is, until the Sony Playstation 3 debuts.